Heard on the Range

After David Duval's agent, Charley Moore, said that the 2001 British Open champ hopes to make his '04 debut at the April 22-25 Shell Houston Open, the media have been treating Duval's appearance as a foregone conclusion. But as of Monday, Duval had not registered for the tournament. "I've heard that [David will play] from several people in different cities, just not from David or his agent," says tournament director Steve Timms.... Most people love the Masters, but Jerry Tucker, a club pro from Stuart, Fla., took his appreciation a step beyond the norm. Two years ago Tucker built a replica of the 155-yard 12th hole at Augusta National in his backyard.... On March 28 Nike Golf's business director Mike Kelly told The Oregonian that the company planned to sell nonconforming clubs in the U.S., possibly within two years. "We're not a traditional company, and we're going to try to stretch the boundaries as much as possible for our consumers and our players," Kelly said. Since then Nike has backed away from the assertion, issuing a release that read in part, "The statement was correctly reported by Oregonian journalist Helen Jung; however, the information that Nike Golf shared with Jung was inaccurate. Nike Golf has no plans at present to introduce nonconforming golf clubs within the U.S." ... European tour players Miguel Angel Martin and Maarten Lafeber do not get along. During the third round of last week's Portuguese Open, Lafeber accused Martin of walking in his line three times. Fed up with Lafeber's whining, Martin refused to sign Lafeber's scorecard. Two years ago at the same tournament, Lafeber and Carl Pettersson filed a joint complaint against Martin for improving his lie in the rough, but since there was no supporting video evidence, no action was taken.... Dave Farrell, bassist for the rock band Linkin Park, donated $75,000 to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which provides scholarships for the children of special operations personnel killed in combat. A huge golf fan and Phil Mickelson follower, Farrell picked the charity after Mickelson announced earlier this year that he would give the Warrior Foundation money for every birdie and eagle he made on Tour. --J.G., Farrell Evans

Before he became the premier postseason performer of his generation, the Patriots icon was a middling college quarterback who invited skepticism, even scorn, from fans and his coaches. That was all—and that was everything